Keith Martin’s Adventures

A missed phone call saved me $29,900. As I surveyed the classic car world looking for underappreciated and affordable automatics, the Jensen Interceptor popped up. With its large backlight, it looks like an homage to a first-generation Plymouth Barracuda. It has a mechanical simplicity that is appealing. Most were built with Chrysler 440-ci V8 engines…

There’s a lot of caterwauling going on about kids not being able to drive manual shift gearboxes. I think the focus should be on the skills necessary to drive at all, not what the transmission is. There will always be a manual shift car around for your kids to drive—if they want to. But the…

I was at my local café for breakfast in Portland. The owner, an Iranian immigrant who has built a good business, stopped by. “Where’d you get that Mecum lanyard?” he asked. He was referring to the Mecum Gold lanyard attached to my iPhone. I had acquired it along with my bidder’s credentials at the recent…

A 1960 Alfa Giulietta Sprint recently sold on BaT for $92,500 ($97,125 with commission). Matt Crandall (911r on Bat) of the Avant-Garde Collection texted me about the car when the bidding was in the $50k range. Matt specializes in Porsches, both stock and outlaw, but has a long history with Alfa. He and I are both…

This was my third time attending the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. All car events are excuses for like-minded people to come together. This is true from the simplest Cars and Coffee to the stratospheric environs of Pebble Beach. Each event has its own unique characteristics. At Chattanooga, their secret sauce is the location of the host…

I did some car swapping last Friday. Enlisting good friend Timothy Ashcroft, we took the 1971 Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato to Bill Gillham’s Hooligan Racing in Albany, OR, and brought our serviced 1965 Giuila Spider Veloce home. It’s about an hour drive each way. Timothy also owns a 1967 Jaguar E-type convertible and a 2015…

Which brings us to the 2006 Lotus Elise. I think it now shows just over 21,000 miles. Based upon the recommendation of former SCM contributor Michael Duffey, I specifically wanted a 2006, with its better seat padding, LED taillights and drive by wire. I went on the hunt for it after riding with SCM’s Legal…

No matter how I try to manage my collection, I seem to end up with eight to 10 cars. I sell three and I still have 10. It’s a mystery. Where do I park them? Luckily, three or four always seem to be in a shop somewhere. (Free storage!) I will rue the day when…

Car shows large and small are just reasons to make memories. This past weekend I attended the Oregon Festival of Cars. It’s held in Bend, OR, about 165 miles from Portland. Organized by SCM Legal Files author John Draneas, along with his wife Carlyn, Ed and Barb Grayson of Consolidated Auto Works (who take care…

Here’s part three of the ongoing update of the SCM Fleet. In Part One, we discussed the coming and going of the 1965 Volvo 122S automatic. There just was not enough engine to make up for the archaic Borg Warner autobox. The 1971 V12 Jag coupe has plenty of power, so this cat stays. I…